Last week was a bit hellish, but I had a good laugh when I went to the Salvation Army and found this little beauty of a cookbook. This is "The New Hotdog Cookbook" which, I assume, is nothing like The Old Hotdog Cookbook. For me, thinking of the title "Old Hotdog Cookbook" conjures up images of leftover hot dogs after a day's BBQ. Now that couldn't have been a very popular book. I was a bit perplexed at the idea of an entire book devoted only to hot dogs and, being thrifty, wondered if I really wanted to pay $2.00 for it. I mean, what kind of culinary tricks could be inside that would be worth that? I debated whether I should buy a book just because it had a funny title. I decided to get it as a White Elephant Gift. However, when I got it home and started looking through it, I knew that I had found something very practical that would be extremely helpful to everyone. Well worth any amount of money...what was I thinking? This book contains 250 Recipes! Can you believe that someone knows how to cook hot dogs in more than 250 ways? Author Mettja C. Roate does! I'll just share a few of the wonders perfected by her discriminating palate and sure to tempt yours... How about Tossed Hot Dog Salad ingredients: 10 hot dogs 1 medium sized head iceberg lettuce 3/4 cup chopped tart apple 1/2 cup dill pickle 3/4 cup pitted, sliced ripe olives 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup dairy sour cream 1 t lemon juice I read these ingredients to Joe and he said, "I have a gut ache, and it hurts! Can you imagine the gas and the indigestion you'd get from eating that? I think if you ate that salad, you might find an alternative fuel source right in your own bloated abdomen!" Yeah, just that first ingredient, 10 hot dogs, makes me cringe. Here's another: Hot Dog Aspic This recipe has 10 hot dogs and 5 hard boiled eggs trapped inside a gelatin mold. I wondered what shape of a mold should you use for this one? Maybe a carp? Maybe a heart mold? That would be romantic, wouldn't it? Reading this recipe, it looks like the gelatin would be almost clear so you could see the hot dogs and boiled eggs in it. Hot Dog Aspic should be served on a bed of lettuce and cut into generous slices. Generous! Don't be stingy with this one! Dog and Yam Casserole 6 hot dogs 1/2 cup crunchy-style peanut butter 1/2 cup chopped Virginia style peanuts 1 1/2 pound canned yams packed in syrup, drained 1/2 cup currant jelly 2 T water Split the hot dogs lengthwise and spread the insides with the peanut butter. Arrange them over the bottom of a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts over the wieners. Cut the yams in half; arrange the halves over the top of the hot dogs. Mix the currant jelly and water together and pour a portion of the mixture over each of the yam halves. 375 degrees for 25 minutes. |
| Other recipes include: Hot Dog Tamale Pie Hot Dog Jambalaya Hot Dog and Beef Loaf (makes you want to burp just reading that one) Spaghetti Hot Dog Dinner (This one has bacon, hot dogs and a block of Velveeta cheese... the three main components of a heart attack) Hot Dog 'N Liver Sausage Loaf Taco Hot Dogs Hot Dog Pops All of these recipes are unique, sure to make you salivate with delight. This book has reinvented the hot dog, opening a whole new world of possibilities. For instance, now that I realize how versatile the hot dog truly is, I'm thinking about marinating them. Or how about sliced hot dogs put into ice cubes? When they melt, you can have a little protein treat. Or you can put them in a Bloody Mary. Pondering these recipes, it's as if the author of the book decided that the meat in any recipe could be substituted with hot dogs. I wonder why she didn't think of hot dog stuffing in a Thanksgiving turkey? It's much easier to open a pack of hot dogs than boiling the giblets and then picking at the neckbone like a buzzard. It just feels wrong to scavenge little bits of meat off a bird's neckbone just to stuff all of it back inside its own body. (I've always felt that we shouldn't do this.) These dishes make pigs in a blanket sound like a Wolfgang Puck gourmet meal. I've heard that you can make a mock apple pie with just about anything... Ritz crackers, saltine crackers, zucchini...has anyone ever tried hot dogs? I will revisit the topic of Hot Dog Recipes later...there are many more I want to share with you. After this article, I don't think my friends will want me to bring anything to the next potluck. I'm guessing I'm gonna hear more than one of them say, "Just bring yourself!" It could be that they don't trust Joe to not whip up a Hot Dog Aspic...he really would! Next week, Daisy ponders what the end might be to some well known proverbs. I told her the first part and she finished them, coming up with more truthful proverbs such as: A friend in need is...a beggar. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him...kick someone with his back feet. If you lie down with dogs...you'll get dog hair on you. Read the rest... Truly cute, and it was amazing how she reasoned them out. Have a great week! |
